8 Adar II (March 15, 2008)
It will be held on March 15, 2008 (8 Adar II), which coincides with Shabbat Zachor/Parshat Vayikra. The National Council of Young Israel is calling the program “Winning the War of Words: Become an effective advocate for Israel.”
Shabbat of Advocacy Across the Nation is being produced by the National Council of Young Israel, the David Project, and StandWithUs, and is in conjunction with the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel, the Rabbinical Council of America, the Orthodox Union, and the Zionist Organization of America.
“The effect of the Arab-Israeli conflict is widespread and its reach extends beyond the borders of the Jewish State,” said NCYI President Shlomo Z. Mostofsky. “The best way to combat this wave of anti-Semitism that has resulted from the chaos in the Middle East is not with a fight, but with the facts. Our greatest weapons in this battle are education and the truth.”
Mostofsky pointed out how critical it is that Jews have the necessary training and education to be effective advocates for Israel in schools, places of employment, and in neighborhoods across North America.
Shabbat of Advocacy Across the Nation—Winning the war of Words: Become an effective advocate for Israel is a program specifically designed to train and educate people about the difficult issues facing the Jewish community. According to Mostofsky, the program will provide people with the tools needed to effectively stand up for Israel with the requisite facts, skills, and confidence.
Some of the issues that will be addressed are the status of Jerusalem, the Iranian threat, the security fence, defeating divestment, and misuse of the apartheid analogy.
According to NCYI Chief Operating Officer Chaim Leibtag, the program will give participating synagogues a turnkey program which answers many of the issues relating to effective advocacy. Included will be preparing college- and work-bound young people how to answer questions they may hear on the college campus or in the workplace, and teaching parents how to speak to their children about issues relating to Israel.
Program materials, speakers and materials will be provided by the sponsoring organizations.
“The reality is that even teens who attend yeshivahs are not properly prepared to respond appropriately to the fabricated statements about Israel that will inevitably be directed at them,” said Leibtag, “We need to make certain that our young men and women are armed with the facts and skilled in the art of advocacy.”
Leibtag noted that the David Project has instituted programs to teach advocacy in approximately ninety yeshivah. In addition, StandWithUs has effectively developed a presence at universities across the United States and trains college students in Israel advocacy. Leibtag also pointed out that the David Project and StandWithUs are working in Israel with both American students studying in Israel for the year as well as Israelis. This effort is being coordinated by the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel.
For more information about Shabbat of Advocacy Across the Nation, send an email to getinvolved@shabbatadvocacy.org or visit shabbatadvocacy.org.
The National Council of Young Israel, founded in 1912, has blossomed into an Orthodox Jewish movement with over 150 synagogue branches in the United States and Canada and over 60 synagogue branches in Israel. The National Council of Young Israel is a central agency, which provides religious, educational, Zionistic, social and communal programming for all its member synagogues and their 25,000 affiliated families. With dynamism and dedication, the National Council of Young Israel continues to concentrate on the needs of its branches, the Jewish nation, and the land of Israel.
